#TeacherThoughts – What we’re reading as we head Back To School

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August 12, 2019

At Classroom Champions, we read. We read for fun, we read lesson plans and more lesson plans, we read Social Emotional Language reports, we read blogs and articles and books written by our teachers and supporters. We read because reading helps prevent dementia. We read to be reading role models to show our students that reading is important and fun.

In honor of the end of summer and the passing of author and reader Toni Morrison, last week’s #ClassroomChampions twitter chat focused on summer reading.

“The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power.”Toni Morrison

See what our community of teachers read this summer and what’s still on their list:

What We’ve Read

1) Kids These Days by Jody Carrington

“I really appreciate how she understands teachers and what we do!” — Heather Williams, Grade 3/4 and Junior High Social Studies Teacher, Alberta, Canada

2) A Passion for Kindness by Tamara Letter

3) Dare To Lead by Brene Brown

“I LOVE the way Brene Brown refers to “the man in the arena” time and time again. It’s about being okay with falling on your face sometimes, because at least you’re daring to try. It makes me WANT to be the person who’s all dirty, picking myself back up!” – Cat Wittman, Classroom Champions Education Coordinator

4) On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

5) Kids Deserve It by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome

“I read Kids Deserve It at a time that I needed to hear its message, so it had a profound impact on reminding me why I am in this career and to stand up for what is best for kids!” — Ashley Anderson, Third Grade Teacher, Oregon, USA

6) Range by David Epstein

7) Stacking The Deck by David Pottruck

“The perspectives in there are life changing.”

8) Empower Our Girls by Lynmara Colon and Adam Welcome

9) The Alechemist by Paulo Coelho

“This is such an inspiring book and I love how much it just makes me happy to melt into the storytelling of this classic! I learned about it when I performed a theater adaptation of this in college.” — Anjoli

10) Naturally Tan by Tan France

11) The 13 Original Clan Mothers by Jamie Sames

“It’s an amazing book that is really grounding. I find that by sharing it I’m not only learning something new I’m also creating memories while doing so! Books clubs are a big thumbs up!”

12) Life Will Be The Death Of Me by Chelsea Handler

13) That One Kid by Brian Mendler

“As a special education and middle school teacher I see a lot of challenging situations. His ideas and strategies work! It’s also a refreshing read.” –Mrs. Purdu, Special Education Teacher, Michigan, USA

14) The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

15)Reluctant Disciplinarian: Advice on Classroom Management from a Softy Who Became (Eventually) a Successful Teacher by Gary Rubinstein

“This book was given to me by a friend when I started teaching, it helped me to not take myself so seriously.”

16) Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp

What’s On Our List

Hacking School Discipline by Nathan Maynard and Brad Weinstein

The Boy Crisis by Warrern Farrell and John Gray

Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth by Aaron Hogan

Brave, Not Perfect by Reshma Saujani

Relentless: Changing Lives by Disrupting the Educational Norm by Hamish Brewer (“That principal is inspiring just from following him on Twitter.” — Mrs. Purdu)